Breaking News
by honeyMellon
Summary: Renji's happy that they no longer have to hide their relationship...but how should they let their friends in Soul Society know?
1. Chapter 1

**This is set in the Renji x Ichigo universe after "Don't Run". Renji's happy that they finally don't have to hide their relationship anymore. Rukia and that nosy Urahara Kisuke****—****and Uryuu (if you remember "Stressful Situation")****—****know, but **_**everyone else**_** doesn't. **

**This is a fun, bubbly piece...so no tissues needed, unless you want to wipe tears of laughter. ;)**

* * *

"So, how're we gonna do this again?" Ichigo asked, looking at his red-haired friend skeptically while walking briskly through the Senkai Gate that Renji had opened.

Renji was making his regular check-in at Soul Society and had invited Ichigo to tag along for the 2-day-1-night trip. Since it was the weekend, and Rukia volunteered to stay back to watch over Kon to make sure he behaved properly as "Ichigo", the teen had agreed to go.

"We just...let 'em figure it out themselves," Renji said with nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, fingers laced behind his head.

Ichigo gave Renji a dirty look. "Right. Because we went through all that drama so that we can hide this from your friends," he said dryly, referring to their almost-breakup a few weeks ago which stemmed from the fact that Ichigo didn't want to make their relationship known.

"Uh uh!" Renji said immediately, wagging his forefinger in the orange-haired teen's face. "We're not _hiding_, we're just...not telling them directly, there's a difference!" When Ichigo rolled his eyes, Renji added, "Plus, can _you_ think of a good way to tell them? _Oh hi, this is my boyfriend Ichigo?_"

A touch of pink dusted Ichigo's cheeks. "Idiot," he mumbled. True, he had run a few scenarios in his head, and none of them—at least in his mind—ended well for his ego. He pictured Ikkaku slapping his palm on the tea table laughing his head off and calling him "lover boy", and Shuuhei looking at him with an awkward, lopsided smile, just because the man was too polite to laugh at him in his face. Yumichika would probably be the only one who wouldn't tease them, but then again, he would probably offer them "advice" on how to spice up their love life.

Renji gave a triumphant "hmmph!" when Ichigo could not come up with a snappy retort, then, with a grin, he slid his arm over Ichigo's shoulders and pulled the boy close. "Don't worry, they'll get it," he said reassuringly. "And they'll be nice! They're all old enough to know what to do."

Ichigo gave Renji a sidelong glance and muttered, "I'm glad one of us has such confidence in their maturity."

* * *

The restaurant was bustling with business when their little group arrived. It was peak hour, and the place was packed with people catching late dinner right after work and those who were there for after-dinner drinks.

Ichigo navigated his way carefully, avoiding waitresses balancing overflowing dishes and customers who were gesturing animatedly during their conversations, their arms waving and bumping into people walking along the narrow gaps between tables. This was nothing like the places he went to in Karakura town, and his eyes darted apprehensively from table to table, taking in drunken faces and sake bottles.

"So, Ichigo! I hear you're a virgin!" Ikkaku said loudly as their drinks were served.

Ichigo immediately flushed a deep red and flicked his eyes towards Renji, mind scrambling to comprehend the awkward statement. What was he supposed to say? It's kind of embarrassing to say that he wasn't a virgin anymore in front of so many people—surely they would ask him who had the honors...and what did this have to do with dinner?

The redhead laughed at Ichigo's bewildered expression and explained, "He meant that you're someone who has never had alcohol before."

Ichigo let out an audible sigh of relief.

"What'd you think I was referring to?" Ikkaku huffed, rolling his eyes. As Yumichika giggled and Shuuhei feigned a coughing fit, the bald man pushed a bottle of sake in front of Ichigo. "Here! I'm not letting you leave the table until you've finished at least one bottle!" Then, before Ichigo could respond, Ikkaku took a sizable swig from his own bottle and looked at Ichigo expectantly.

"Uhh..." Ichigo stared at the delicate glass bottle in front of him, then, after a moment's hesitation, brought it to his nose and took a whiff. He raised his eyebrows. The alcohol actually smelled quite pleasant, which was surprising considering how much his father stank whenever he came home drunk.

The table fell silent as everyone watched the young substitute shinigami carefully inspect his first bottle of sake as though it was an archaeological find.

"You don't have to drink it if you don't want to," Renji said, eyeing Ichigo with an amused smile on his lips. The minute the words left him, he groaned inwardly at his own stupidity.

Sure enough, Ichigo's eyes narrowed and his grip tightened on the offending bottle. Then, with a look of determination, he brought it to his lips and tipped it over. A good amount of the cool liquid slid smoothly into his mouth, and without thinking, he swallowed the entire mouthful.

Renji cringed as Ichigo burst out into a coughing fit, gagging at the sudden searing sensation of the alcohol going down his throat. Setting down his own bottle, Renji rubbed a palm over Ichigo's back to help soothe the boy. By the time Ichigo was finally able to breathe again, he was nearly purple in the face, and Ikkaku was practically rolling on the floor gasping for breath from laughing too hard. The others, being slightly more civilized, sat there with their lips quivering from their attempts at holding back their laughter.

"You alright?" Renji whispered in Ichigo's ear as the boy slumped over the table, breathing heavily. "You're supposed to just _sip_, not gulp it down like water!"

Ichigo shot him a glare. "Well, _now_ you tell me."

"Still, you swallowed every drop!" Shuuhei said cheerfully, feeling a little sorry for his young friend. "Good job!"

Ikkaku opened his mouth, no doubt to take another jab at Ichigo, but Kira gave him a not-so-subtle nudge in the ribs, and he fell silent with an indignant look on his face.

Patting his chest as he slowly recovered his breath, Ichigo pushed the sake bottle away from himself and said, "I think I was happier being a virgin."

Yumichika immediately raised his eyebrows. "But Ichigo! You don't know what you're missing!" Then he hiccuped and giggled, covering his mouth as if he had made an inside joke. Everyone at the table seemed to get it, except Ichigo. Even Renji was chuckling, although he did flash Ichigo an apologetic look.

When Ichigo simply scowled at them, the slim, black-haired man batted his feathered eyelashes and gave him a sickly sweet smile. "Speaking of which, are you a virgin?"

Next to Ichigo, Renji choked on his drink.

"I just nearly killed myself with it, or have you already forgotten?" Ichigo retorted, still annoyed that he had made a fool of himself in front of Renji's friends.

Yumichika laughed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not talking about _that kind_ of virginity," he said, his smile widening.

"Food's here!" The waitress sang, appearing suddenly behind Ichigo and Renji, saving the boy from needing to answer the awkward question. The dishes that were spread out in front of them proved to be distraction enough, and the question was forgotten.

* * *

Renji and Ichigo excused themselves early. Once they were out of earshot, Yumichika whispered to the rest of the people at the table, namely Shuuhei, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Kira, "Is it just me...or did you guys get a weird vibe from Ichigo today?"

"Ichigo?" Rangiku replied, her face flushed a delicate pink. She had had a lot to drink, but she could easily outdrink Ikkaku, so she was quite sober. Still, even sober, Rangiku had no fear speaking her thoughts or being nosy. "I thought _Renji_ was acting weird! Didn't you notice how he _stroked_ the boy?"

Shuuhei gave her an exasperated look. "He was just trying to help Kurosaki through his coughs, Rangiku-san."

"Right," Kira deadpanned, looking at Shuuhei with slightly drunken, heavy-lidded eyes. "Because Renji-kun does that for us all the time, too."

Yumichika held up his hands dramatically and cleared his throat, silencing the rest of the conversation. "Okay, I think we all agree that we should look into this."

Shuuhei cocked an eyebrow and said, "_We?_ Look into this? Since when?"

"Since _now_," Rangiku giggled and wrapped her arms around Shuuhei, crushing the man against her ample bosom. "Come on, it's not like we have anything better to do!"

Excited at the prospect of adventure, Yumichika got to his feet eagerly and kicked Ikkaku, who was sprawled on the mat gazing at them through red, half-closed eyes. "Come on!"

The bald man waved dismissively. "I ain't gonna waste my time on something so stupid," he drawled, then tried to reach for his bottle without getting up. After several failed attempts, he grunted and fell back onto the mat. "Order me a couple more bottles, will ya?" he mumbled to nobody in particular, and then promptly fell asleep.

* * *

"How do you guys drink that stuff?" Ichigo complained, rubbing his chest as Renji led the way to his quarters. "I think it burned my throat...like, permanently."

Renji laughed and wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders. "You get used to it," he said with a grin. "Not all _first times_ are as pleasant as...you know..._that_ first time." He gave Ichigo a suggestive wink, making it quite clear what he was referring to.

Ichigo blushed and gave the redhead a shove. "Don't be so fucking full of yourself," he said with a scowl.

"No, I believe _you_ were quite full of _me _that time," Renji said with a straight face. Before he could duck, Ichigo drove an elbow right into his gut. With a choked cry of pain, the redhead stopped in his tracks and doubled over.

Ichigo looked at the trembling form with a satisfied smirk on his face. But when Renji remained crouched for a good half a minute, his smile faltered. "Oi," he said, poking Renji's arm with one foot—no response, not even an angry grunt. "Hey." He began to feel alarmed. Crouching down, Ichigo patted Renji's back. "Oi!"

Still no response except for the slight shaking of Renji's shoulders.

"Come on, that couldn't have been that bad," Ichigo said, beginning to feel rather guilty. Did he really hit him that hard? He tried to remember. He felt certain that Renji had taken worse hits than this without even flinching. Still, maybe Renji was weakened now from drinking so much at dinner. "Hey," he tried again, squeezing the redhead's shoulders, pulling the man closer. Renji trembled against Ichigo's chest but remained silent.

"Sorry," Ichigo whispered, and nuzzled Renji's hair. His heart began to beat faster as he felt more and more frantic. Should he send Renji to the Fourth? "I'm really sorry, Renji," he said in a small voice, hugging the redhead tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...listen, I'll let you top the next time we...you know. Just...say something!"

Renji stood up so abruptly that Ichigo was flung off, and the boy landed on his rear with surprised "oof!". Looking up in shock, Ichigo immediately saw the triumphant glint in the man's eyes. "Oh, come on," he said in disbelief as he realized that he had just walked right into a trap.

"I was just waiting for you to offer me something," Renji said with a smug grin. "Sounds like I got a good deal." He held out a hand to help Ichigo to his feet, and was promptly rewarded by a flurry of fists, which he skillfully dodged. Laughing at the dirty look Ichigo gave him, he grabbed Ichigo's wrist and flash-stepped to his room.

Not two seconds later, four shadowy figures ran out from a nearby alley, some looking straight ahead while others looked to the left and right.

"I swear I heard their voices! They're right here!" Yumichika said, chest heaving from exertion, squinting at the direction where Renji and Ichigo had been walking.

"Shhhh!" Kira nudged Yumichika with a frown. "If they're really here, they'll hear you!"

Shuuhei leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well, I don't see them," he said, shrugging. "What'd you hear them say?"

With a frustrated growl, Yumichika stomped his feet in the ground. "Couldn't make out the words," he said grudgingly. "But I _swear _it was them!"

* * *

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reads, favs, and reviews! :)**

* * *

Ichigo threw himself lazily across Renji's bed, kicking the covers aside and grabbing a pillow to hug. Renji rolled his eyes at the boy but his expression held nothing but affection. It was moments like this that reminded Renji how young Ichigo really was.

"Entertain yourself while I finish up my report," Renji called out as he padded to the kitchen to grab tea for both of them.

Ichigo made a noncommital grunt and rolled off the bed. He had only been to Renji's room once or twice in the past, and both had been hurried visits. Now that he had time on his hands, he was determined to go through every corner of this space, not unlike how Rukia had gone through his stuff.

"Wow," Ichigo said in awe as he took down a thick, dusty book from one of Renji's shelves. "You have a _kido_ text book!"

Renji emerged from the kitchen carrying two steaming cups of green tea and placed them on his table. He walked over to Ichigo and peeked over his shoulder. "Meh," Renji said. "Year one material."

Ichigo whistled as he flipped through the pages, staring at the lengthy explanations and illustrations of _kido_ spells. Just their incantations alone made his head spin. Still, it was very interesting, and, for lack of other things to do, he carried the heavy book back to Renji's bed and sat down to read.

"Never pegged you as the studious type," Renji commented as he spread out his half-filled report on his desk. Carefully, he began to set out his ink and brush.

"I'm in the top 50 of my class, didn't you know?" Ichigo said, sounding a bit wounded. When Renji snickered, he scowled at the back of Renji's head and continued to read through the introduction of _kido_ classifications. "Ha! _Bakudo no 1, Sai!_" he exclaimed and stabbed the page with his finger.

Renji turned around and threw Ichigo a look. "What about it?"

"That's what Rukia did to me the first day we met," Ichigo said, his eyes glued to the text.

Renji's eyebrows shot up. _That_ he had not heard before—too bad he didn't get the chance to see it. He chuckled at the mental image of Ichigo all tied up and immediately felt blood rush up his face. _Maybe_ he could use it on Ichigo...for an entirely different purpose. He smirked and glanced at Ichigo, running his eyes up and down the teen's long limbs. Yep, he could definitely imagine using _Sai_ on Ichigo. Ah, but right now, he had a report to finish, he thought glumly as he returned his attention to the partially-blank form in front of him. Kuchiki-taicho would not take it too kindly if Renji didn't have the report ready tomorrow.

* * *

"This is boring," Rangiku complained in a hushed voice. "And my back hurts."

She was half-crouching, half-standing awkwardly next to a window outside Renji's quarters. In fact, all four of them were positioned in similar ways, straining to listen in on the conversation inside. So far, it had been disappointingly tame.

"I can't believe Renji-kun is actually _working_," Kira whispered, surprised.

Shuuhei snorted under his breath. "If he had actually worked, he wouldn't have to do such a last-minute job right now."

Yumichika slumped against the wall and sighed. They had spent about five minutes arguing where Ichigo and Renji might've gone before realizing that they could just easily wait for the two of them to go back to Renji's room. No matter what else they might end up doing after dinner, it was almost certain that they would spend the night at Renji's, so all Yumichika had to do was to wait there. Not surprisingly, Ichigo and Renji were already inside Renji's quarters by the time the four of them arrived.

"Can you believe that Ichigo is reading a textbook?" Kira said again, apparently awestruck by how serious the two men were.

"I could've sworn I felt something between those two," Yumichika muttered, grinding the heels of his feet into the cement floor.

Ichigo's voice floated out from the room. "How the hell do you guys remember all of this?" The boy sounded bewildered, probably at the sheer number of words in the book.

A muffled voice—clearly belonging to Renji—replied, "I don't."

"Ah," Ichigo said. "That's right, I forgot that you suck at _kido_."

Rangiku stifled a giggle. One thing was for certain, the two men were close. Still, they had yet to see anything that indicated that their relationship went beyond platonic.

Shuuhei yawned softly, then wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of his tired eyes. "Come on, Ayasegawa-san, give up already. I'm exhausted."

"One more minute!" Yumichika whispered, looking pleadingly at his friends.

Just then, they heard the sound of wood scraping on wood, and all four of them pressed their faces as close to the window as they could without being seen from the inside.

Renji was standing up, his chair pushed away from the table. With a loud yawn, the redhead walked over to his closet and began to rummage inside.

"They're going to bed!" Yumichika almost squealed in delight. Kira clamped his palm over the dark-haired man's mouth to muffle the giggles that they all knew would follow.

They heard a thud, then a lump of cloth landed at Ichigo's feet.

"What's this?" Ichigo asked, setting the book down on Renji's bed. He poked the lump with one foot.

Renji threw a spare sleeping robe to the teen and kept one for himself. "It's a sleeping bag."

Rangiku's eyes widened and she turned to look at Yumichika. "They're not even sharing the bed!" she whispered in surprise.

The three other men were just as surprised. Renji's bed was large enough, and definitely more comfortable than a sleeping bag on the hard wooden floor. It wasn't all that uncommon to share a bed when they stay over at each other's quarters, especially after a long night of drinking.

"That's it," Shuuhei said, moving away from the window. "I've seen enough."

"But—" Yumichika protested, not willing to leave just yet. "I'm sure they will—"

Kira got to his feet as well. "I'm with Hisagi-san, there's nothing going on between the two of them. I'm heading back to sleep." As if to prove his point, Kira stifled a yawn.

Desperate, Yumichika looked at Rangiku, who shrugged. "I don't see the point of staying," she said.

"Ugh!" Yumichika let out a frustrated groan and clenched his fists. "There's _something!_ I can feel it!"

"We'll believe you when there's proof," Shuuhei said lazily, already walking away with Kira. With a curt nod of farewell, he and Kira flash-stepped away.

"Sorry, Yumi-chan," Rangiku said, flashing the red-faced fifth seat officer an apologetic smile. Then she, too, left.

Yumichika sat slumped against the wall for a few more minutes, but all he heard were muffled footsteps of the two men walking to and from the bathroom, more scraping of the chair against the floor, indicating that Renji had perhaps gone back to continue working on his report.

With a defeated sigh, he scratched his head and left reluctantly.

* * *

Ichigo kicked the sleeping bag playfully as Renji spread it out evenly on the floor. "So you're really serious? We're really going to sleep on this?"

"Unless you want to wake up the entire neighborhood, yes!" Renji scowled at him and smoothened the part that Ichigo had kicked.

Ichigo laughed and threw himself onto the bed again, then laughed even harder when the bed protested his weight by creaking really loudly. "Can't you request for a change of furniture?"

Renji shrugged. "It had never bothered me before," he said, arranging two pillows neatly at the head of the sleeping bag. "It's not like I've had any reason to...you know...bounce on the bed much." He looked up with a smirk and winked.

Ichigo glowered.

The sight of the boy blushing and looking all mad and flustered made Renji want to hug him until he couldn't breathe, and he felt his heart beat a little faster at the thought of having his arms around Ichigo. "Come on." Renji lay down on the sleeping bag and patted the spot next to him.

Muttering under his breath, Ichigo kicked off his slippers and settled on the sleeping bag. He gave Renji a glare, then grudgingly lay down next to the man, who immediately wrapped his arms around the boy.

"Pervert," Ichigo muttered, poking Renji in the ribs, but as he felt the body heat from Renji's chest against his back, his lips curled up into a contented smile, and he relaxed into the strong arms.

They lay there in silence for a while, just enjoying the closeness and listening to each other's heartbeat. Then, Renji's hand began to travel slowly up and down Ichigo's body—caressing one toned arm, running his fingers along the pale, smooth neck, loosening the knots in the shoulders. He felt Ichigo shiver under his touch, and his hand slid down to feel the ridges of the teen's muscled torso, the slim waist, the smooth hips. When his hand slipped further south to Ichigo's most intimate parts, the boy finally let out a soft moan.

The sound brought a growl to Renji's lips, and he gently rolled Ichigo to his back. Propping himself up by the elbows, Renji leaned in to nip at the sensitive skin below Ichigo's ears, prompting the boy's breathing to become faster and harsher.

"Touch...touch me," Renji panted, rubbing his lower body against Ichigo's hips as he continued to place kisses down Ichigo's neck and collarbone, leaving behind a faint trail of pink on the smooth skin.

With his eyes closed, Ichigo fumbled blindly between their bodies for a few seconds before he found Renji. He tightened his fist and felt Renji shudder. Smiling into Renji's hair, Ichigo began to move his hand—he stroked the hardened length, squeezed the base lightly and ran his fingers over the tip, applying everything he had come to learn over the months. He knew how much pressure to use, where to linger, where not to touch—he knew exactly how to reduce his lover into a blabbering, sobbing mess.

An especially pleasurable touch sent a jolt through Renji's body, and, before he could stop himself, he bit down on the skin where he had been kissing. Ichigo immediately jerked from the sharp pain and shot Renji a fierce glare.

"Sorry!" Renji whispered sheepishly, then he gently licked the fresh teeth mark to soothe the wound. The sting from Renji's saliva sent a chill down Ichigo's spine, and for reasons he did not understand, Ichigo felt himself harden further from the sensation. He wasn't even aware that he had let out a loud moan in the process.

"Did you like that?" Renji asked in surprise. He knew that some people were turned on by bites, but he had never tried it on Ichigo.

Too dazed to reply in words, Ichigo simply nodded and turned his head to the side, exposing more of his neck to his lover. Renji grinned. He leaned in and dragged his teeth up and down the length of Ichigo's neck, letting his teeth graze the skin lightly. He felt Ichigo stiffen beneath him, anticipating the pain.

"Shhh...I won't hurt you," Renji mumbled into Ichigo's ear, then he took the boy's earlobe between his teeth and gently nibbled at it. Ichigo's body arched off the floor, and Renji growled when the boy's hips grinded against his own. Letting go of Ichigo's ear, Renji returned his attention to the boy's neck. He licked the marks that he had left behind earlier, then, just as Ichigo was beginning to relax, he bit down.

The effect was immediate; Ichigo let out a cry—somewhere between a howl and a growl—and dug his nails into Renji's back. The redhead winced, but the rush of pleasure he felt from seeing and hearing his lover's reaction was well worth it.

"Want," Ichigo gasped, reaching up to grab the back of Renji's head. Clutching a fistful of crimson hair, Ichigo yanked Renji's head down and crushed their lips together.

* * *

Ikkaku rubbed his eyes and blinked, his vision swimming in and out of focus as he stumbled along the street. He bumped into a wall that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, then suddenly, he opened his eyes wider and realized that he had no clue where he was.

"Stupid," he said. Whether it was directed at himself or the wall, or even the street, nobody would ever know.

He was roused from his drunken stupor just a few minutes ago by the owner of the restaurant. He had been confused when he woke up. Where were all his friends? Then, groggily, it came back to him. Something about Renji, he recalled vaguely, Yumichika said Renji was...or was it Ichigo? _Something_ about Renji or Ichigo, or maybe it was Renji _and_ Ichigo...it was a mess.

His head pounded, blurring his thoughts and throwing his balance off. With a grunt, he found himself pressed against a different wall—where did they all come from?—and he staggered back towards the center of the street. He squinted and looked around him. This place didn't look familiar.

Madarame Ikkaku was lost.

Unwilling to admit it to himself, Ikkaku took a deep breath and straightened up. It's fine, Seireitei wasn't all that big. He just needed to walk a little further down this street; he was sure that he would recognize the place eventually.

In fact, he thought this place was beginning to feel a little more familiar already. Maybe he had been here before after all.

He turned around and took in his surroundings, searching for any landmark that could help him figure out where he was. There, he thought he caught a glimpse of something white—a sign, perhaps. Feeling hopeful, he walked towards it.

It was indeed a sign—with the Sixth division insignia on it.

"Stupid," Ikkaku muttered again. How did he get himself into the Sixth division courtyard? He didn't remember entering through a gate. No wonder it gave him the odd sense of the place being familiar yet unfamiliar—most of the Gotei 13 divisions have similar-looking grounds even though the layouts could be different.

Well, he needed to get out of the Sixth and back to the Eleventh. It shouldn't be all that hard to do. He straightened up again and began walking, trying his best to not stumble. It would be an embarrassment if the Third seat of the Eleventh squad was caught wandering around like a lost dog in another division's courtyard.

Somehow, he arrived at a dead end. "Stupid," he cursed. He stared angrily at the wall and wondered briefly if he could scale it. If he wasn't drunk, he could easily jump up this wall and flash-step back to his place. But, well, the problem was he _was_ drunk, so any complex movement that required even the slightest bit of feet-hand-eye coordination was out of the question.

Sighing dejectedly, Ikkaku slumped against the wall forehead-first. "Oww," he thought. Absent-mindedly, he reached up to rub his forehead, then, his hand stopped mid-action.

_What was that sound?_

* * *

**To be continued...**

**I'm sure we all know what Ikkaku's in for. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for reading and following the story! :)**

* * *

"Shhh!" Renji whispered, but he couldn't help laughing at the same time. Each time he rolled his hips while lightly nipping on Ichigo's shoulder or neck, the boy would moan and thrash as though he was possessed. It was exhilarating, and not to mention arousing, to see Ichigo like this, but seriously, even without the creaking sound from the bed, they were going to rouse the entire Sixth division if Ichigo didn't shut up.

Of course, one easy solution would be to stop doing this to Ichigo, but Renji couldn't bring himself to stop. He wanted nothing more than to pleasure Ichigo, and it looked like the teen was having the time of his life. In the months they were together Renji had never seen Ichigo react this way during their lovemaking.

"Fast...f-faster," Ichigo stuttered, raising his hips to meet Renji's thrusts.

The redhead let out an involuntary groan at the command. How could he refuse?

* * *

Ikkaku followed the sounds. They were different now, distinctly human, unlike the earlier cry that sounded more like an animal in pain.

He stumbled a bit, tripping over pebbles that littered the ground that led off the street. He knew he was walking towards the division quarters now, so the noises were probably coming from someone's room. Had he been slightly more sober, he would've been quicker to guess what it was, but blurry-eyed and dazed as he was, he just kept going.

He soon narrowed down the source. Slowly and as steady as he could given his state, he crept up and flattened his body against the wall. As he stood there, he suddenly got a strong sense of déjà vu—he _had_ been there before, he was almost certain of it. But when?

Before he could delve deeper into his memory, he heard a sound that he recognized: a laugh. And not just any laugh—Ikkaku recognized his red-haired friend's voice at once. He remembered now why he felt that the place was familiar—he had been to Renji's quarters plenty of times, it's just that none of them had been during the night, and he had never approached it from this direction.

He heard low murmurs coming from the room, and against his best judgement, he peeked into the window. And his heart stopped.

There was no mistaking the tattoos of on the broad shoulders and strong back of the man who looked as though he was doing push-ups. Except, _of course_ Renji wasn't doing push-ups. There was a figure—slimmer, paler—moving beneath the redhead, and the sounds—moans of pleasure, Ikkaku knew what they were now—were tumbling from the lips of that figure. Who was he kidding...he knew who it was. Who else had such a bright orange head of hair?

Ikkaku wanted so badly to tear his eyes away from the scene, but he couldn't. His body simply refused to move, and so he watched on numbly as his friend thrust into the younger man over and over again, the muscles in his back and biceps flexing, his body radiating raw power.

Another murmur caught his ears, and then Renji suddenly groaned and began to move faster. The cries from Ichigo became hoarse, louder, and more urgent. Ikkaku felt his face flush as he found himself breathing harder as his friends' moans filled his ears—a good portion of his drunkenness had left him thanks to the shock of this discovery.

And then there was a strangled cry from the boy, followed by a deep growl, and both men stopped moving. Ikkaku couldn't see much clearer than that, but there was no doubt what that meant, and the realization of the fact made him feel even more awkward. Worse of all, he also realized that his face was not the only body part that was hot and bothered.

He heard more low murmurs, then Renji lay down on the floor. For a few minutes he continued to stand there, probably even after his two friends had fallen asleep. Then, with a shudder, Ikkaku woke up from his trance-like state and stumbled away from the building. After a handful of wrong turns and dead ends, he finally found the main gates of the Sixth division and half-walked, half-jogged back to his own quarters.

There would be no sleep for Madarame Ikkaku that night.

* * *

"You alright, Ikkaku?" Yumichika looked at his best friend with a concerned frown.

The bald man had been unusually quiet the entire morning. Instead of grumbling about how boring it was to have nobody to spar with, Ikkaku had simply sat in a chair across from Yumichika _in the office_—Yumichika could count the number of times Ikkaku spent more than two consecutive hours in the place—and stared at the wall.

"Hello?" Yumichika said again, trying to get his friend's attention.

Ikkaku turned to Yumichika with a start, as though he never realized that his friend had been there the entire time. "What?"

"Bad hangover?" Yumichika asked, standing up to make tea. "I'll get you some tea, you'll feel better."

Ikkaku nodded in acknowledgement, then continued to stare blankly at the wall. Inside, though, his mind was a jumbled mess—confusion, curiousity, shock, disbelief, embarrassment—he didn't even know where to begin to process them all. He sighed; he knew he needed to vent, and there's no one else better for this than his best friend.

"Thanks." Ikkaku accepted the steaming cup gratefully. The grassy aroma from the tea calmed him somewhat, and he managed to pull himself together enough to form a proper sentence. "So...where'd you guys go last night?"

Yumichika made a sound that could be interpreted as an indignant grunt. "We went to Renji-kun's quarters."

Ikkaku nearly coughed up his tea. "What—" he sputtered, wiping some of the liquid that dribbled down his chin. "W-what'd you see?"

"Nothing." Yumichika sounded extremely disappointed.

Ikkaku raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Nothing?" he echoed.

Yumichika sat back in his chair and flung his hands in the air in defeat. "Nothing. They chatted, Ichigo-kun _read_ a fucking _kido_ textbook, Renji-kun wrote his report," he said with an annoyed frown. "They didn't even share a bed."

Ikkaku's mouth twitched. _That_ was definitely not true. But, then again, they technically did not share the _bed_. "Did they...was there a sleeping bag or a futon on the floor?" he asked.

"Yes!" Yumichika said, eyes wide. "How did you know?"

"I, uhh..." Ikkaku rubbed his bald head awkwardly. "I...I saw them."

In a flash, Yumichika was right in front of him, eyes pleading for more information. Hesitantly, Ikkaku related what he had witnessed the previous night.

"But...are you sure you weren't hallucinating?" the dark-haired Fifth seat asked, looking at his friend apprehensively. "You were...quite drunk."

"I'm sure," Ikkaku insisted.

"What are you so sure about?" a deep voice said at the door.

Yumichika jumped to his feet. "Hisagi-kun! Kira-kun! Ikkaku said he saw them _in action!_" he said excitedly. Quickly, he retold Ikkaku's story to the two other lieutenants.

"Right..." Shuuhei said with a smirk, obviously not buying the story. "You were hardly conscious when we left."

Ikkaku's face reddened in indignation. "I know what I saw," he said fiercely, clenching his fists. "It's fine if you don't believe me."

Sensing the tension in the air, Kira intervened. "It's easy, we can ask them how they slept when we see them later. I'm sure we'll be able to tell _something_ based on their reaction," he suggested. "They're both pretty easy to read."

Yumichika gave Kira a skeptical look, but since nobody else had a better idea, they left it at that.

* * *

Ichigo sat in the waiting area and fidgeted. The shinigamis walking up and down the hallway kept casting odd looks at him; obviously they recognized him as the _ryoka_ who saved Kuchiki Rukia, but beyond that, who knew what kind of rumors they had heard about him?

Renji had been in the office for a long time. Neither of them got a lot of sleep last night—it took a long time for Ichigo to calm down after experiencing the most intense orgasm in his life yet, and Renji had been so turned on by it that they kept waking up during the night to tend to his needs. Not that Ichigo didn't want it, of course.

The chair was extremely uncomfortable, Ichigo grumbled in his mind, shifting his weight around. It couldn't be helped—he was just too sore, it was impossible to find a comfortable position on the hard wooden surface.

Just as Ichigo shifted in the seat again, the door flung open, and Kuchiki Byakuya emerged from the room within in full regalia, followed by Renji close behind. A gracefully curved eyebrow lifted at the sight of the orange-haired teen.

"Hey, good to see you, Byakuya," Ichigo said with a casual wave. He snickered when the captain's face darkened slightly at the boy's usage of his given name.

"I'm glad to see that you're not causing damage to Seireitei for a change," Byakuya said cooly. Then he turned and swept out of the building, leaving Renji standing in the doorway with a small stack of paper in his hand.

"Why do you always do that?" Renji complained, smacking Ichigo's head with the stack of paper. "You gotta understand that he's _my_ taicho, okay? You give him a hard time, and he'll give _me_ a hard time."

Ichigo snorted and stood up, happy to be free from the chair. "So can you leave now?"

Renji gave him a pained look. "No, I'm sorry," he said, waving the paper he's holding. "He gave me a bunch of these forms to fill out, but I think I should be able to finish them before he comes back." He gestured for Ichigo to follow him into the office.

"Oh? Where'd he go?" Ichigo asked. He strode over to a chair sitting next to Renji's desk and made himself comfortable.

Renji sighed and sank into his own chair. "Captain's meeting."

Ichigo nodded, then, out of boredom, began to play around with the knick knacks scattered on Renji's desk. It was easy to tell which desk belonged to whom even though he wasn't told—Byakuya's was spotless and neat, while Renji's was covered with uneven stacks of paper, both new and out-dated, along with an array of brushes, brush caps, and crumpled pieces of notes. He reached out to grab an especially colorful ball of paper and gasped when a sharp pain shot up his back.

"What's wrong?" Renji immediately set his brush down and went to Ichigo's side.

"_You_," Ichigo scowled at the redhead.

Renji looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened as comprehension dawned. His eyes softened and he rubbed the small of Ichigo's back gently. "I'm sorry," he said, nuzzling the boy's hair. The pleasant scent of freshly-washed hair made him smile, and he reached out to cup Ichigo's cheek with one hand.

Ichigo looked up into the redhead's eyes and blushed slightly at the clear look of hunger in them. He felt more than saw Renji lean in, and he automatically closed his eyes. Renji's lips brushed against his lightly, and Ichigo sighed softly at the comforting warmth. Parting his lips, Ichigo welcomed his lover's tongue and they shared a slow kiss, and for a moment, forgot that they were in the Sixth division office.

By the time they remembered, their kiss had turned into something more urgent—they were both panting, faces flushed pink, their breaths heavy and fast. With trembling fingers, Renji loosened his own _obi_ and untied his _hakama himo_. The garment, now loose, slid down soundlessly to pool around his ankles. By then, Ichigo had also freed himself from his pants, and without a word, their lips met again, sucking and nipping at each other at a feverish pace.

Renji broke away abruptly and turned around, his back to Ichigo. A current of understanding went through Ichigo, and his hands went to Renji's hips, guiding the man to bend over his desk.

"You ready?" Ichigo leaned down and whispered in his lover's ear.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So what'd you think...who'll find them first? :p**


	4. Chapter 4

**Nila101, I have no idea how you do it, but you always manage to read my mind!**

* * *

Rikichi, one of the many unseated members in the Sixth division, was walking down one of hallways in the First division grounds when he nearly ran into his own captain as he rounded a corner.

"My apologies, Kuchiki-taicho!" Rikichi cried, his face reddening in embarrassment and horror.

Kuchiki Byakuya waved a hand dismissively, then his eyebrows lifted slightly when he recognized his own subordinate. Perfect; he was just on his way to send a _Jigokucho_ to his lieutenant to inform him that he had another meeting to attend and would be late, and that Renji was free to leave after he completed the forms. Since Rikichi was here, he might as well ask the boy to pass his message in person.

Rikichi bowed and nodded profusely when he was given the task, secretly rejoicing at the chance to see his beloved Abarai-fukutaicho, the one reason for which he had joined the Sixth division right out of the academy. He was glad that he had volunteered to run the errand on behalf of the Third seat, otherwise he wouldn't have even known that his hero was back.

With a soft "hmmph", Byakuya nodded and continued on his way, leaving the young shinigami standing in a deep bow.

* * *

"There..." Renji groaned, his knuckles turning white from his tightening grip on the sides of his desk, which was swaying with a light creaking sound in time with the movement of Ichigo's hips.

"Here? Like this?" Ichigo said between pants, shifting his body to get the right angle. The skin on Renji's hips were flushed from friction underneath Ichigo's hands, but they were oblivious to the fact, both completely lost in their little bubble of pleasure.

Renji arched his back suddenly. "Yes, yes, there, again...yes," he mumbled breathlessly, the words spilling from his lips in a nearly-incoherent stream. Another volley of well-placed thrusts tore a loud mixture of curses and moans from his throat, and Ichigo grunted in response. At this pace, they were not going to last much longer.

"S-shut up..." Ichigo grumbled, annoyed that Renji was being as vocal as he was even though the redhead always admonished him for doing it.

Renji laughed, then the laughs dissolved into a series of groans when Ichigo abruptly increased the depth of his thrusts. The desk skidded a few inches across the floor, and they both burst into chuckles as they repositioned themselves in frantic, uncoordinated movements.

They peaked at almost the same time—the spasms of Renji's muscles pushed Ichigo over the edge easily, and their cries of pleasure echoed off the walls. If they had been a little more conscious of their surroundings, they would have been slightly more concerned about being overheard, but, as it was, it never crossed their minds.

Still, as they lay sprawled over the desk to recover their breaths, fingers tightly laced together, their ears were able to pick up the pattering of footsteps coming from the hallway. It was soft, but it was definitely coming their way.

"Shit!" Ichigo swore under his breath and immediately jumped off Renji's body. Renji also pushed his body away of the desk and ran for the crumpled lumps of clothes on the floor.

"Here!" Ichigo threw Renji's robes to him, and they both threw their clothes on in a panic.

If they had taken the time to sense the approaching _reiatsu_, they would've known that it was not Kuchiki-taicho who was returning from his meeting. But of course they didn't stop to think. Just as they finished tying up their _obi_, the visitor knocked on the office door.

"Enter," Renji said stiffly, sitting behind his desk while keeping his shoulders as straight as possible.

The door swung open slowly, and a short young man walked in.

"Rikichi!" The wave of relief that washed over Renji made him want to sag in his chair, but he managed to keep his composure to give his subordinate a proper greeting.

Rikichi's eyes darted from his lieutenant to the orange-haired man standing next to him. Was he seeing things, or were their faces unnaturally red? Kurosaki Ichigo—he remembered the _ryoka_'s name now—had an odd expression on his face, and his _shihakusho_ was surprisingly rumpled and ill-fitting. The knot of his _obi_ was not in the center, and one side of the knot was longer than the other. Rikichi couldn't help but feel a hint of disdain for the man.

But, then again, his precious lieutenant did not look much better. His ponytail—if you could even call it that—was a sorry sight; it was off-center and the red locks stuck out in different angles, and there were loose strands hanging off Renji's forehead and neck. The trademark white bandana was nowhere to be seen.

"Do you need something?" Renji asked.

"Ah, yes," Rikichi tore his eyes away from his lieutenant's odd appearance and related his captain's message.

Renji's face brightened. "Thanks, Rikichi," he said with a smile, then he patted the desk, seemingly searching for something.

Rikichi guessed he must be looking for the forms that Kuchiki-taicho had mentioned. His eyes fell on several pieces of paper strewn on the floor near the cabinet.

"Here." Rikichi gathered the forms and handed them to Renji, who blushed—_blushed?_—slightly and accepted them with a mumbled thanks. He stood in front of Renji's desk for a few more seconds, then, when Renji gave him an inquiring look, the boy finally excused himself and left the room.

The second the office door clicked closed, Renji slumped in his chair and breathed a loud sigh of relief. "My god," he said in a shaky voice. "That was too close, too close."

Ichigo scratched his head in embarrassment and laughed. "Yeah." Then, his eyes widened as he stared at the side of Renji's desk. "Uhh, I guess it's a good thing that he didn't walk over here..."

* * *

"So we're just going to randomly ask them '_so how'd you sleep last night?_'" Shuuhei said, his eyebrow twitching, clearly showing his discomfort with the notion.

Yumichika nodded with a serious face.

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Ikkaku muttered, rolling his eyes.

Shuuhei grunted in agreement while Rangiku burst out in a bout of giggles. Kira chuckled and spread his hands, "Well? Do you have a better idea?"

Nobody did, so they continued walking in silence towards the restaurant where they had planned to meet Renji and Ichigo for lunch.

It was going to be one very interesting lunch conversation.

* * *

"Hey, sorry guys, I got held back by, uhh, some paperwork," Renji said, sounding out of breath, when he finally arrived at their table with Ichigo. They were about ten minutes late, and he was greeted with long faces.

It couldn't be helped; they had to spend some time making themselves—and Renji's desk—more presentable before leaving the Sixth division office. _And_ Renji had to fill up those forms.

The minute Renji and Ichigo settled into their seats, Yumichika looked at them with a big smile and asked, "So...how did you sleep last night?"

Shuuhei and Kira nearly dropped their tea cups, and Ikkaku slapped his palm on his face. As if asking the question was not embarrassing enough by itself, Yumichika just _had_ to ask it at the worst possible moment—the question was so out of place now that he might as well just ask "So...did you guys have sex last night?"

Renji gave Yumichika a puzzled look. "Uhh, it was okay," he said. "Right, Ichigo?"

_He blushed, he blushed!_ Yumichika sang inwardly, catching the very subtle flash of red that appeared on his friend's cheeks.

Ichigo looked at Renji and echoed, "Yeah, it was okay." Naturally, they weren't going to mention that they had barely had any sleep, and that they had spent the night on more interesting activities.

Silence reigned after that.

Yumichika threw a sidelong glance at Kira, who shrugged. Apparently, nobody had thought of what to do next.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked finally, feeling a little creeped out by the silence, not to mention the exaggerated smile that Yumichika was giving him.

"Nothing," Shuuhei said hastily, and shot a glare at Yumichika. They'd arrived at a dead end—he couldn't think of anything else to ask without making the situation even more awkward than it already was.

Another long stretch of silence followed, then Rangiku suddenly asked, "Did you gain weight, Renji?"

Renji looked at her with a start and immediately found himself the center of attention as all his friends stared at him.

"Yeah, now that you mention it..." Yumichika said with a thoughtful frown, his eyes roaming up and down his friend's frame.

Shuuhei narrowed his eyes and leaned back to get a better look at his friend. "You know..." Then he glanced at Ichigo. "And you seemed to have...lost weight?"

Ichigo and Renji stared at each other, stunned. Then, Renji's eyes widened, and he burst out laughing.

"Shit, we mixed up our clothes!" Ichigo blurted as he came to the same conclusion.

"What the hell? I thought the one farther away from the desk was yours!"

"No! The table moved, remember?"

"_Told_ you that we should've taken a quick look in the mirror before we left!"

"Well it's not _my_ fault that there are no mirrors in your office!"

It took the two of them a few exchanges to finally notice the relative silence at their table. They turned around awkwardly, and found themselves staring into five very shocked faces—Yumichika and Rangiku looked downright ecstatic on top of that, while Shuuhei and Kira looked slightly amused. The oddest one was Ikkaku—his face was so flushed that he looked like he had had a few bottles of sake.

"So..." Renji glanced at Ichigo, then turned to grin sheepishly at his friends.

"Yeah, we kinda get it," Ikkaku said gruffly, averting his eyes. Their bickering just now, though brief, brought back stark images of what he witnessed the night before, and he really could not bring himself to look at his friends at the moment.

"This is so exciting!" Yumichika sang, and Rangiku nodded happily. "When? When did it start?"

* * *

Not surprisingly, the rest of the lunch conversation consisted of Yumichika and Rangiku attempting to wrangle as much information as they could from the two men, while Renji and Ichigo did their best to dodge the stickier questions. Shuuhei and Kira, while happy for their friends, were more subtle, but Ichigo did notice how they would lean in closer whenever Rangiku asked one of her...naughtier...questions.

When Renji and Ichigo were finally allowed to leave, the five friends smiled as they watched the new couple disappear onto the street.

Yumichika let out a satisfied, triumphant sigh. He was just about to open his mouth to say something when Shuuhei suddenly said, "Is it just me...or did they imply that they made out in the office right before coming here?"

"Imply? _'The table moved, remember?'" _Rangiku quoted with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Shuuhei groaned. "Remind me never to touch Abarai-kun's desk again, please."

~END~

* * *

**Thanks for following the story! I'm really happy that some of you find this funny, I really do appreciate the comments to let me know that, they make my day! :D**

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